


Slaying Dragons

by Lisafer



Category: Protector of the Small - Tamora Pierce, Tortall - Tamora Pierce
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-20
Updated: 2010-09-20
Packaged: 2017-10-12 01:28:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/119277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lisafer/pseuds/Lisafer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kel and Yuki spend time together and discuss the nature of courtship and chivalry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Slaying Dragons

The two eight-year-old girls were practically forgotten in the emperor's castle. Their small, elegant, studying-room on the fourth level of the keep overlooked the courtyard, where dozens of soldiers ran through their _katas_ and tested each other's endurance. The ladies were elsewhere: Kel wasn't remotely aware of what they were doing, but she knew her mother was in the thick of things.

" _Ne_ , Yuki," she caught her companion's attention. "Are we allowed to learn weapons other than the _naginata_?"

Yukimi nodded, crossing over to the slatted windows where Kel had been standing for the last quarter of an hour, patiently studying the warriors below. "The bow," she said at last. "Would you like to try that tomorrow, after our lessons with Nariko?"

"Yes," Kel answered softly. Her exterior was calm--she had learned early on that yipping with delight was a practice highly frowned upon in the Yamani Islands. But internally, her heart leapt at the thought of more training. Learning to defend her virtue was well enough when she was littler, but now she ached to learn as much as the warriors. She wanted to face down pirates and bandits and enemies' armies. She gazed longingly into the courtyard below, thankful for the thick walls that kept her fear of heights from getting the better of her. "I wish I were a boy."

Yuki giggled and pulled Kel away from the window. "You want to wear your hair in a topknot and marry one of the emperor's ugly troll-daughters?"

The emperor was hardly a kind man, and it was a trait that he has passed on to many of his children and grandchildren. Despite being in his favor for three years, none of the younger princesses would give Kel a nod in the corridor when she bowed respectfully to them. And the most unfortunate aspect was that other noble-born girls followed suit. Kel had very few friends, but she adored those that she had.

"I'd marry you instead," Kel replied matter-of-factly, kneeling at the table where the girls had been working on their calligraphy all morning.

Yuki's round face lit up. "And how would you win my affection, Keladry?" she asked teasingly.

"I would offer incense and prayers at every temple. And I would impress your mother with beautiful poetry and dancing at the Autumn Festival. I would impress your brothers with my warrior skills. And I would finally approach your father with a bottle of warm sake and explain all the reasons our match would be ideal. And when he agreed, I would sit with you every evening to listen to the crickets and watch the fireflies."

Yuki laughed pleasantly and dropped to the table beside Kel. "All of that is well and good, but you didn't answer my question. How would you win my _affection_? My affection and my hand in marriage are two different things, I hear."

Kel blinked, confused. "What would you want a suitor to do?"

Yuki pondered in silence for a moment, her face a mask of mock-seriousness. "He would have to rescue me from a dragon, and fend off other suitors. And when that was done--"

"But there are no dragons!" Kel interrupted crossly.

Yuki looked at her with alarm, and Kel instantly apologized for the unacceptable outburst of impatience and frustration.

"Not literal dragons," Yuki finally said, idly drawing the character for 'dragon' on a piece of parchment. "I just want a suitor who will help me fight my battles. Who will be the love of my life."

Kel nodded. "Fight dragons, love-of-your-life. Yes. I could do that if I wanted to win your affection."

Yuki set down her brush and looked at Kel with a dry expression. "It's not a list of things to be checked off," she said. "It should come naturally." A wicked glint came to her eyes, and she picked up the small vial of ink.

She gracefully padded over to the door, knelt, and slid it open. A young servant sat on the opposite side, awaiting instructions from Yuki. Words were whispered in rapid Yamani, the door slid shut, and Yuki looked at Kel pointedly.

"The Third Princess Asako is your dragon, is she not?"

Kel felt her face flush. Princess Asako had made it clear long ago that Kel was not to be treated well in her presence, often whispering " _gaijin_ "—foreigner--in a disgusted tone whenever they were near one another. Though she was twelve years old, she was Kel's size, only dainty and demure. But beneath all that quiet beauty lurked a nasty dragon, with all the power of the niece of the emperor.

Yuki smiled playfully at Kel as she untied her long hair. Like all Yamani girls, her hair had never been cut, except for the shoulder-length locks that framed her face. Her long tresses hung over her face as she tied her ribbon around the vial, but she made no move to brush it aside. Kel could not see what her friend was doing.

Yuki stood, precariously balancing the ink on a shelf next to the door; the ribbon was affixed to the top of the door itself. She had opened the door just a tiny bit--hardly noticeable to someone entering the room. But the ribbon was taut.

Kel could see how this trap worked. When someone slid the door open, all would be fine. But as soon as it was fully closed, the ink would fall and spill upon the person who stood there.

"That's not fair, Yuki," she said softly.

"Nor is it fair to use your rank to bully those who are younger, or frightened, or poor, or _gaijjin_."

"Well, yes, but still--"

Kel's meager protest was interrupted by the sound of the door sliding open. But it was not Third Princess Asako, the hateful girl who called the plump and pretty Yuki "pumpkin", or who did her best to make Kel feel unwelcome. It was Princess Chisakami, daughter of the Emperor's heir. She was wonderfully sweet, and had always gotten along well with Kel whenever they were thrown together. Yuki admired her greatly.

Yamani protocol was highly structured, but incredibly simple at the same time. While the princess entered, Yuki and Kel would have to give a very low bow. And of course, no Yamani woman would enter a room without kneeling down and sliding the door closed behind her. And as the princess was alone, there was no way to avoid disaster.

Yuki bowed low, her face white with fear. Although she wore six layers of elaborate robes, Kel could see that her friend's arms were shaking.

Only one thing could be done, Kel realized. As much as she loathed feeling like an ignorant foreigner, she had to protect Yuki.

"Come in, your highness," she said just as Chisakami was kneeling to close the door. The princess was completely unaware of the pale orange ribbon that hung, slack, above her head.

Kel crossed the room and took the princess's arm. She pulled her to her feet and yanked her toward the table in the center of the room. "You must see my calligraphy," she insisted, thrusting samples into Chisakami's delicate hands.

"These are… very nice," Chisakami answered haltingly with a heavy accent. Her eyes were wide as she studied Kel, undoubtedly startled at the girl's complete breech of etiquette.

Yuki, meanwhile, darted over to the door and removed the vial of ink, under the pretense of closing the door. "Keladry has improved much," she said. "I wanted your opinion."

They spoke for a few more minutes, distant, but polite. The princess then left, and Yuki collapsed at the table. "I told Fuuka to fetch the princess--I didn't know _she_ was here!"

Kel knelt beside her and smiled. "So, did I save you from a dragon?"

Yuki laughed prettily. "Yes--and the dragon was _me_!"

"So you would marry me, if I'd been born a boy?"

"Maybe," Yuki smiled playfully. "You'd still have to best the other suitors. But maybe I would be like all the girls in the Tortallan stories, and I would grant the humble knight a kiss from his fair lady." With those words, Yuki leaned toward Kel and brushed her lips against the other girl's mouth.

Kel's hazel eyes widened in surprise for the briefest of moments. Her composure regained, she smiled at Yuki and said, "Of course, _girls_ can be knights in Tortall, so maybe I wouldn't even have to be a boy to rescue you."

**Author's Note:**

> While Tammy's depiction of the Yamani Islands seems to be based almost entirely on Tokugawa Japan, my love of Japanese history has always been focused on Heian (classical) Japan. Thus I've incorporated aspects--hair, dress, Imperial hierarchy--of the Heian period, and merged it with a Tokugawa setting.


End file.
